The Road to Change

 The Executive Director's Message 

The child welfare system will change more in the next five years than it did in the last five. Under the leadership of Director Brandon Nichols, the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is pursuing a long-term vision to have less reliance on the child welfare system. For Building Forever Families Initiative (BFFI), this has two important implications. First, there will be a need for a new generation of skilled professionals to bring about these changes. And second, the need for community-based organizations to provide support and services to keep families safely together will increase.

BFFI’s road to change includes a strong partnership with DCFS and building a team that supports, strengthens and empowers families through a continuum of care. We are articulating a common understanding of values, principles, and relationships. This framework is necessary for facilitating loving and skillful parenting, and for developing and maintaining permanent lifelong connections. 

BFFI’s well-trained, skilled therapeutic Family Coaches work together with Community Care Coordinators, (CCCs) to deliver a continuum of care based on evidence-based and best practices. The family coaches and CCCs each play a significant role in child and family well-being service delivery system—helping families make positive behavioral changes to successfully reunify families or place children in stable healthy permanent homes. The family coaches provide supervised visitation and work directly, one-on-one, with children/youth and parents to heal trauma and strengthen and improve family bonding and wellbeing. The CCCs work together with family coaches and help families navigate the complexities of the child welfare system, provide case management and create pathways improving access to services and resources—all in an effort to prevent and eliminate child abuse, neglect and maltreatment. The family coaches reduce caregiver strain, improve family knowledge and parenting skills, decrease behavioral and emotional problems, reduce risks of suicide, address substance use, and reduce corrections involvement and homelessness. Together they strengthen the service delivery system and provide families with the tools, skills, abilities and attributes that help families cope with adversity, enabling them to not just survive but ultimately thrive.   

As the Los Angeles County child welfare landscape changes and shifts from a culture driven by crisis to models designed to proactively support child and family well-being—the focus will be on preventing child maltreatment and unnecessary family separation. The road ahead for BFFI and DCFS includes creating child and family well-being systems and training a new generation of leaders that build healthy family relationships and engage productively with “upstream” behavioral health services. In partnership with DCFS and with their support, we can be a key driver of family well-being that preserves culture, equality, and dignity—and avoids crisis services, hospitals, incarceration, and the justice systems. BFFI’s road to change builds family resiliency and capacity, keeps families safely together, and creates the foundation for families to live fruitful and fulfilling lives free of trauma, violence and crime. 

Esther A. Torrez MA, MBA
BFFI’s Founder/Executive Director
 

Meet Our Team

THE LEADERSHIP TEAM - “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

Kathryn Ecklund, Ph.D. – Child & Family Therapists, BFFI Curriculum Consultant, Clinical Supervisor, and Master Trainer

Dr. Ecklund is a seasoned educator, clinician, and program consultant dedicated to advancing community-based substance misuse treatment and behavioral health services. Currently serving as a Professor of Psychology at Azusa Pacific University (APU), Dr. Ecklund has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of behavioral health and substance use professionals. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom as she actively engages in research and program development aimed at promoting behavioral and mental well-being among children, youth, and families, and addressing substance misuse among youth and adults. Dr. Ecklund serves as a Program Curriculum Consultant and Clinical Supervisor for Building Forever Families, contributing to the development and implementation of effective intervention programs to promote healthy parent skills and parent child relationships among families involved in the DCFS system of care. With a steadfast commitment to equity and inclusivity, Dr. Ecklund actively seeks to empower underserved communities through strategic partnerships and evidence-based interventions, as reflected in her clinical director and supervisory roles with Pacific Life, Heart2Serve, and as the HRSA clinical supervisor for multiple SUD treatment programs within Los Angeles County.

Cecilia Ramos, MSW, LCSW – Program Coordinator, & External Field Practicum Instructor; Former Director for School Operations and Assistant Director for School Mental Health, Los Angeles Unified School District.

Cecilia is new to the BFFI team bringing with her over 30 years of experience in the social work/mental health field, in various settings including education, health and law enforcement. She coordinates and supervises family coaches helping to develop a well-trained and skilled team of behavioral health practitioners. She uses the interactive process of learning, integrating theory and application to advance a system of care for children/youth in out of home care who are working with their families toward reunification. She collaborates with DCFS, agencies, colleges and universities to prioritize superior service delivery in order to strengthen families and optimize outcomes for children. Her goal is to prepare graduate students to serve as family coaches as well as to help develop their own professional identity as autonomous practitioners. She is committed to field education practice and considers providing clinical supervision as a crucial building block in guiding students’ growth to becoming skillful and compassionate professionals. “I feel very honored to be part of this dynamic work, especially working closely with the family coaches to provide valuable services to parents and families in need.”

Ivana Ecklund – BFFI’s Data Analyst and Statistics Consultant – Data Driven, Accountability and Research-informed, Ensuring Evidence-based and Best Practices

Ivana is a third-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she is specializing in neuropsychology. Her academic journey began with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, followed by master’s coursework in Research Psychology and Data Analysis at Azusa Pacific University. As a Data Analyst and Statistics Consultant for BFFI, Ivana leverages her expertise in data analytics to inform evidence-based practices that serve families and individuals involved in the system of care.

Ivana is particularly passionate about enhancing the representation of diverse and marginalized groups in psychological research. Her work focuses on using data-driven insights to foster positive change within psychology, mental health, and social services. Through her role at BFFI, she contributes to impactful research and clinical practices, aiming to improve outcomes for underrepresented communities. Her commitment to these areas reflects her dedication to advancing inclusivity and equity in her field.

BFFI’s THERAPEUTIC FAMILY COACHES – Creating child and family well-being systems, building healthy family relationships and engaging in “upstream” behavioral health services free of trauma, violence and crime.

anessa Gomez, BFFI Therapeutic Family Coach

Vanessa is an MSW student at Azusa Pacific University. She holds a B.A. in Child and Adolescent studies with a concentration in family and community engagement. This background has provided a strong foundation in understanding relationships, roles, interactions, and systems, and how they influence children’s growth and development. 

Vanessa is dedicated to empowering children, youth, and families reach their highest potential. As part of her BFFI role, she serves as therapeutic family coach facilitating family bonding for children and youth who are working with their parents toward reunification. She works with families on a one-to-one basis with the goal of healing trauma and building secure attachments between child and parent. 

She focuses on improving parent/child relationships, including repairing child/parent bonding and helping families cope with adversity. 

She says that BFFI is playing a significant role in helping her achieve her long-term career goal in working in the child welfare sector and continually developing key social work skills. She says she has the privilege of learning from and collaborating with key professionals in the field.

Alma Perez, BFFI Therapeutic Family Coach

Alma is an  MSW student at California State University Dominguez Hills. She received her Bachelor's in Psychology from CSUDH. Upon completing her MSW degree, she plans to join the Department of Children and Family Services. “BFFI has given me the opportunity to build connections with the community and learn along the way. As an aspiring social worker I hope to make a positive difference with the families I serve.”

Cristina Orozco, BFFI Therapeutic Family Coach

Cristina is currently working toward her graduate degree in Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy at Azusa Pacific University. She began working with BFFI as a family coach in August 2024, and quickly realized the impact BFFI services have on the family reunification process. Creating a safe space for parents to come and get the support and skills they need to rebuild connection and facilitate change in their lives has been such a rewarding experience for her. “Witnessing the resilience and motivation these parents have is truly inspiring, and I feel grateful to gain clinical experience working alongside them to ensure that family reunification is a possibility.”

COMMUNITY CARE COORDINATORS – Promote good communication, coordinated and consistent delivery of continuum of care services in an integrated, comprehensive, culturally responsive, and evidence-based/best practice manner – and they collect data for analysis.

Ashley Martin – BFFI’s Program Manager and Community Care Coordinator 

Ashley is an Undergraduate Senior Psychology major at Azusa Pacific University and is in the final semester of her program. She currently has two roles at BFFI. First, she is a Community Care Coordinator (CCC), and helps children and families navigate the complexities of the child welfare system. As a CCC, she also assists family coaches to identify risk factors, and creates pathways for families facilitating access to much needed services and resources. In her role as a CCC, she helps to collect data to monitor, track and measure the effectiveness of the program. 

With a minor in Entrepreneurship, Ashley’s second role at BFFI is a Program Manager, where she works closely with Executive Director Esther Torrez to build capacity for the growth and development of the community-based organization. Ashley promotes good communication with DCFS and develops marketing tools for community outreach. She believes in strengthening, supporting and empowering families and has learned the significance of helping families through a continuum of care model.

After graduation, Ashley plans to attend graduate school to become a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) with a focus on young children and adolescents. Additionally, she hopes to one day start her own community-based clinic consisting of therapeutic mental health specialists, supporting child and family well-being. 

Megan Goodwin – BFFI Community Care Coordinator

Megan is an Undergraduate Junior Psychology student at Azusa Pacific University, and plans to pursue a Master’s degree after completing her B.A. As an intern at BFFI, she works together with the Family Coach in identifying risk factors, providing case management, collecting data from observing parent-child interactions, and helps families navigate the complexities of the system of care - ensuring that there is good communication at all levels, and that services and resources are coordinated and consistent to meet the multiple needs of children, youth and their families. “I am grateful to be able to serve the community, getting the experience of supporting families while learning more about how to pursue my future career pathway.”

Yvonne Chiem – BFFI Community Care Coordinator

Yvonne is a senior at Azusa Pacific University studying Psychology and Humanities. Yvonne serves as Community Care Coordinator with BFFI. In her role, she helps to strengthen and support children, youth and their families who are referred by DCFS and who are working  towards reunification. 

“I see my work making a difference by providing case management and creating safe spaces for families to share their experiences and in helping them access the support they need. It’s fulfilling to know that I can play a part in fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment with the families we serve.”

"BFFI contributes significantly to my vision as I continue my education toward my career goals, especially giving me opportunities to experience both clinical work and data collection and analysis. This internship allows me to apply my academic knowledge in a practical setting, enhancing my skills in community engagement and advocacy.

Evelyn Velasco-Matias, BFFI Community Care Coordinator

Evelyn is a Psychology major at Azusa Pacific University. From a young age, Evelyn actively sought opportunities to support children’s academic journeys, spiritual lives, and well-being. In high school, she even took a college course in child development to deepen her understanding of age-appropriate ways to help children. She explains, “The most interesting fact I learned was that the environment the children grow in impacts who they become when they grow into adulthood, how they interact with other people, and how they navigate through life.” Inspired by this, Evelyn set a goal to help children grow in safe, nurturing environments—a mission she’s able to pursue through her work at BFFI.

In her role, Evelyn provides vital support to families dealing with challenges such as chronic and mental illness, domestic violence, and housing insecurity. She collaborates with Clinical Social Workers (CSWs) to ensure families receive the resources they need to thrive. Additionally, she organizes and oversees activities designed to strengthen bonds between parents and children, recognizing these relationships as foundational to children’s development.

Looking ahead, Evelyn aspires to become a child life specialist, advocating for children and families in hospital settings. She reflects, “Building Forever Families Initiative helped me grow in my skills such as teamwork, communication, and family service. All skills are essential to my career as a child life specialist. Additionally, the goal of child life specialists is to provide age-appropriate activities and to create an environment where children can be themselves. At BFFI I am learning how to apply such activities and strategies to help children in their cognitive development and build a bond with their parents.” 

Investments that Transform Lives

Partnership with Department of Children and Family Services – Strengthening Our Prevention Strategies 

The Road to Change supports child and family well-being systems with the upfront supports and services they need to prevent families from entering the child welfare system and/or limit their time once they are in the system. BFFI in partnership with DCFS Pomona and El Monte Regional offices and in collaboration with other County and community-based agencies work to keep families together and effectively connect children, youth and families to needed services and resources (i.e. supervised home and/or community-safe gathering visitation sites, behavioral and mental health services, education, navigation and engagement with other natural communities of support). BFFI’s partnership with DCFS offices (Pomona and El Monte) are data driven and use data to inform planning, activities, and decision-making that leads to implementing meaningful solutions for improving the lives of our children, youth and their families. 

Testimonial

Click one of the links to hear a testimonial from one of our current clients!

Building Forever Families Initiative thanks you for your generous support. We are  overflowing with gratitude during this special time of the year and are counting all of our blessings. I would like to thank you for your encouragement and commitment to our vision of supporting and strengthening children, youth and their families. 

On behalf of all of us, we wish you and your loved ones a joy-filled Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!